Nigeria Customs Hands Over Stolen Luxury Cars to Canada in Major Anti-Smuggling Breakthrough
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has handed over several stolen luxury vehicles traced to Canada in a major breakthrough against transnational vehicle smuggling and organised auto theft.
The official handover ceremony took place on Monday, May 4, 2026, at the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos, where the Customs Area Controller of Tin Can Island Command, Comptroller Frank Onyeka, formally presented the recovered vehicles to Canada’s Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Nasser Salihou.
The recovery followed months of intelligence-sharing and operational collaboration between the Nigeria Customs Service and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), after Canadian authorities discovered that several stolen exotic vehicles had been illegally exported and shipped into Nigeria through international cargo channels.
According to internal Customs documents dated May 5, 2026, the recovered vehicles include a 2019 Lexus RX350, 2019 Mercedes-Benz G550, 2023 Land Rover Range Rover, 2019 Lamborghini Huracán, 2021 Rolls-Royce Dawn Convertible, 2018 Lamborghini Aventador, and a 2026 Toyota Tundra.
Speaking during the handover, Comptroller Onyeka disclosed that one of the intercepted vehicles — a Toyota Tacoma — was concealed inside a container transporting other vehicles and remained under Customs control when intelligence from Canadian authorities triggered immediate action.
“What looked like a routine cargo movement quickly became an international criminal investigation. Once intelligence reached us, we placed the consignment under enforcement watch and secured the vehicle pending confirmation from Canadian authorities,” Onyeka said.
He explained that after receiving the intelligence alert and shipping documentation through official channels, Customs officers swiftly isolated the suspicious cargo and placed the affected vehicle under enforcement custody for further verification.
The Customs boss also revealed that the Service deliberately delayed the release process until Canadian government officials arrived in person to complete identification and recovery procedures.
“We had people who wanted to step in on behalf of others, but this was too sensitive. We insisted the handover must be directly to the Canadian government to preserve the integrity of the process,” he added.
According to Onyeka, the operation demonstrates the Nigeria Customs Service’s growing capacity to combat transnational vehicle theft syndicates that exploit global maritime shipping routes to move stolen luxury automobiles across borders.
He further noted that the successful recovery highlights the strengthening partnership between Nigeria and Canada in intelligence-sharing, cargo profiling, maritime surveillance, and enforcement against organised cross-border crimes involving stolen assets and illicit trade.
The development is expected to boost international confidence in Nigeria’s anti-smuggling framework and reinforce ongoing efforts to strengthen security across the country’s ports and shipping corridors.
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